Wolverine Pride helping improve AuGres-Sims athletics

AuGRES — The Wolverine Pride booster club will be looking to plan and host more events, after recently receiving its charitable license from the AuGres City Council, giving them recognition as a nonprofit group.

Wolverine Pride was founded in March 2010, taking the place of the AuGres Athletic Boosters as the booster club for AuGres-Sims athletics.

President Brett Dieleman said the group has seen success in its first year of operation.

“The only thing we have had going to raise funds is our concession stand sales,” he said. “We are looking to continue to grow and get more people involved.”

Dieleman said the group plans on holding more raffles and other events now that they have become a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

“We want to raise more money for our athletics,” he said.

Plans for Wolverine Pride include a raffle for a jet ski. Dieleman said that the organization has already raised money and helped upgrade athletic programs at AuGres-Sims.

In the past year, Wolverine Pride has spent $3,500 to help finish construction at the concession stand at the AuGres-Sims football field, donated $1,500 for a new electronic scoreboard at softball field and purchased new warm-up uniforms for the varsity basketball team.

Dieleman said that to get money from the booster club, coaches must submit an application to school athletic director Jeri Christie.

“All school athletics receives a certain amount of funding, and the athletic director decides where it goes,” he said. “It is much easier than having the coaches come directly to us with requests.”

Dieleman said that Wolverine Pride began when the AuGres Athletic Boosters disbanded.

“The old group began to have some financial difficulties,” he said. “They decided to disband to eliminate their debt. We decided that we needed to continue on with their concepts and formed this new group.”

Dieleman said he believes Wolverine Pride has made an impact on school athletics, adding that the group would like to have more community involvement in the future.

“I think we have made an impact while staying low key,” he said. “Things have been going real well. We would like to see some more commitment, but right now we have made a difference for the schools athletics, and that is the most important thing.”